


Creature Comfort

by OutlandishLuminary



Category: Original Work
Genre: Djinni & Genies, Domestic, Fae & Fairies, Ghosts, Magic, POV First Person, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:13:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7951129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OutlandishLuminary/pseuds/OutlandishLuminary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three people.<br/>Three not-so-ordinary people.<br/>One lost from time.<br/>One steeped in secrets.<br/>One who fears the world.</p>
<p>All confused, deserted, and lost.<br/>All waiting and hoping and dreaming to wake up somewhere else, as someone else.</p>
<p>This is going to be one hell of a ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ghastly

A clock ticks on the mantle, complimented by the gentle popping of the embers as they burn out. The floor creaks behind me. I turned, and then the world went dark. When the light returned, it was... Different. 

The house looked musty, smothered by a layer of dust. All of the things that I remembered, the candlestick on the desk, the clock on the mantle... All were gone, replaced only by the ever-present dust. Strangely, the house did not smell of rot, as one would expect from such a scene.  
In fact, I smelled nothing at all. Quite bizarre. I moved to the window, looking out into town. "Odd," I said. The dust had remained where it was, with no evidence of my ever having tread on it. I turned back to the window, where I was greeted with a strange sight. The streets, once cobblestone, were black as tar, and populated by the most curious automatons. They seemed to whiz about on their own, moving according to some strange rules that only they knew. Across the way, where the Bridgers live, there was now nothing, only an empty patch of grass and trees.  
"What has happened here?"  
I run across the dusty floor, practically leaping down the stairs. The parlor is much the same as the up-stairs was, complete with unmoving dust. I look out the window, hoping that the scene has somehow changed. The patch of grass is still where the house should be, but now I see it is not as empty as I originally thought. People walk through the trees, strolling along well manicured pathways. I watch one of the people, their hair waving in the gentle breeze, coat flapping open behind them. A flash of motion catches my eye, and I turn to see a boy run by, several years my elder. He moves quickly, glancing behind him as if he were being pursued. His eyes are terrified, wide with apparent fear, and his lips moves as he mutters something, over and over again. He runs towards my house, streaking past. I hear a muffled scream, and then silence.


	2. Ancient

Recently, the park has become my favorite place to be. Besides the occasional frisbee (shudder) there are relatively few 'grams to be found. It is usually calm, quiet. Few people visit. The trees provide shade for all who wish to pass beneath them.  
Was that a face at the window? It's gone now, not a trace of it ever being there. I turn, just watching the people walk by.  
_Oh, but that's wrong._  
Some court fey lounge by the fountain. They are watching a boy, intently, predatory. They creep closer, closer. The boy looks up.  
Wait.  
The boy looks _at them_.  
He's moving away, casually. The fey are following, he breaks into a run! I follow. For some reason, I want to protect this boy.  
As I move closer, I can hear him.  
"-hit oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!"  
The court fey are not far behind. Others watch with interest from nearby trees. He's still running, running for what might be his life. He flies past the side of the old Victorian. A pebble catches his toe, his feet collide, he trips and skids on the concrete. The fey are catching up, but I get there first.  
Deep breath.  
They stop, staring at me.  
"Hello Gentlemen. Rhedis, Fegnorgra."  
They tip their heads, looking past me to the boy. I step into their line of sight.  
"Sorry boys. He's mine." I put my hand in front of my mouth, stage whispering. "I'm going to pluck out his eyes and eat them."  
I lean back, smile.  
They smile back.  
"Very good, Rheiza. We will leave you to your meal. Be sure to save us a morsel, won't you?"  
"Of course. Farewell."  
"And you."  
They walk back to the park, to see what easier targets they can find. I turn to the boy. He is frozen on the ground, watching me with eyes round with fear. "It's quite alright, boy. Come, this way now." I pull his arm. He pulls back, screams. I haul him up, knocking out his breath in the procces, sling him over my back, and set off at a jog. We continue in silence. He struggles, and I let him down. We continue to jog until we reach my place.  
Ah, home.  
The boy stands quietly while I unlock the door, glancing about as if he expects another fairy to attack him. _Reasonable, I suppose._ The door opens, and I push him inside. He goes with little resistance. I close the door behind him, bustling over to the kitchen. "Tea?" No reply. I look back around the corner, and the world goes dark.


	3. Careless

This has just been one fucking awful day. I went to the park, as usual, to work on the shit for class. It was usually quiet there, and the fae seemed to be fewer. On this particular day though, swarms seemed to have come to the park. Everywhere I turned there would be another one. It's incredibly frustrating to avoid looking at something that surrounds you. Usually, I do pretty well. After all, no one had noticed me yet, and I can still see! Amazing for one of my 'gifts'. More like a curse.  
Currently, I'm locked in a stranger's house.  
A stranger who kidnapped me, and apparently plans to eat me.  
Not my best day.  
I try to open the door, the windows, the backdoor. I even try to smash through the wall with a lamp I found. Nothing even got scratched.  
"Damn fairy. Must've put a ward on the house." I smash the lamp on the floor, bits of broken glass spreading everywhere. "Ugh! Why did this have to happen! Why can't everyone just _leave me alone_!"  
I turn back to the fairy. I knocked her out with the first thing I could get my hands on, a ceramic lamb. She's not bad looking, especially not compared to some of the stuff I've seen. Warm brown hair, chopped short. Her face is almost gold, a sharp contrast to the silvers and greens of most other fae.  
She stirs, eyes opening slowly.  
"Let me out. Now."  
She blinks, staring at me.  
"Let me out!"  
"Why did you do that?" Her mouth quirks. "I saved you, and you smashed me over the head with a- a ceramic sheep! What kind of a thank you is that!"  
"You said you were going to eat me. You kidnapped me!"  
She sighs, hair fluttering in from of her face.  
"And what did you expect those court fey to do, hmm? Do even know what they would have done to someone with your abilities?"  
"Yeah. I know exactly what. They blinded my aunt."  
"Oh." She pauses, biting her lip. "I'm sorry."  
"Yeah, well... And anyways, that doesn't change the fact that you've got me locked in your house!"  
She holds out her hands. "Well, come on then. How'm I gonna let you out if you've got me tied up?"  
I watch her carefully, judging the options, before I realize that I really have no choice. Either I untie her or I'm never getting home. I unknot the rope, and step back, half fearing that she's going to bite me. Instead she smiles and opens the door.  
"I'd be careful. Dangerous world out there."  
I turn to leave.  
"Oh, and I wouldn't go back to the park if I were you. Seeing as I'm supposed to have eaten you and all that."  
I nod, and walk back home.


End file.
